Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4971745 | Microelectronics Reliability | 2016 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the electrical and mechanical characteristics of an Ag-grid flexible transparent electrode (FTE) as a flexible and even foldable transparent electrode for flexible electronic devices. The Ag-grid FTE was fabricated on a polyethylene terephthalate substrate using the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) jet printing process. We achieved a fine pattern of a line width of 4.6 μm. The Ag-grid FTE exhibited the sheet resistances of ~ 4 Ω/sq. and optical transmittance of around 80% with a pitch of 150 μm. We also used the carbon treated black metal-nanoparticles to lower the haze up to 1%. The effects of the sintering temperature on the microstructure and sheet resistance were investigated. From the sintering temperature of 150 °C, a stable necking between nano-particles began to form, and the sheet resistance substantially decreased. The mechanical flexibility and durability of the Ag-grid FTEs were investigated via bending, stretching, dynamic/static fatigue tests, and adhesion tests. The outward bending test results showed that the Ag-grid FTE can be bent up to 3 mm without failure of the electrode. The stretching test indicated that the Ag-grid FTEs can be stretched to a tensile strain of 9%; however, the Ag-grid was slightly vulnerable at the extreme bending radius in the bending cyclic fatigue tests due to severe strain accumulation. The Ag-grid FTEs exhibited a very stable static bending fatigue property during the 1000 h test as well as an excellent adhesion property. These results indicate that the Ag-grid FTE is a promising electrode scheme for bendable or foldable electronic devices.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Computer Science
Hardware and Architecture
Authors
Sang Min Yang, Yo Seb Lee, Yonghee Jang, Doyoung Byun, Sung-Hoon Choa,